Page 73 of Vicious Games

Remembering I have dare number two lined up, I'm suddenly awake faster than a straight shot of espresso to the veins.

"Ah, not much really. Why?"

"Well, get up. We're going dress shopping. I'll come pick you up if you like?" she responds, and I can hear the sound of traffic in the background.

I groan. "Now?"

Phoebe mutters a curse at a fellow driver. "Yes, now. It's mid-morning, Ry. The sun is shining, it's a beautiful day."

She doesn't realize how wrong she is, but who am I to dampen a bride's energy?

"Fine. Just give me like half hour to wake up," I mutter, climbing out of bed.

"Sounds good. Go get caffeinated!" she says before I hear the click of the call ending.

I take a quick shower since I'm going to be trying on dresses, and put on a pair of leggings and a long shirt. Loose clothing seems the most sensible choice. Plus, if Phoebe suddenly turns into the Runaway Bride-to-be for whatever reason, I can give chase easily.

I can hear talking from the kitchen as I head downstairs. It's not mom or Gareth though, if I remember correctly, they were going to be running errands today.

It still baffles me that after all the commotion of the twins turning up, Gareth seems oddly calm with letting them stay. Still, no one has told me the why or how of the situation. I have no idea what they did to piss everyone off, or what has been said to suddenly sweep it under the rug. As usual, I'm the only one in the dark.

The house constantly feels like everyone is walking on eggshells. It's like we're all waiting for the explosion we know will come eventually, but acting like we're the Brady Bunch.

Well, definitely a fucked up version of them, that's for sure.

When I enter the kitchen, the first person I see is Blake, leaning against the counter. He gives me a cold look, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. He set me up last night, I just know it. He knew Jenny was in there, which is why he offered me up on a silver fucking platter.

Zayn is at the breakfast table, the smaller one we have in the kitchen, laughing with Jenny and Asher. I swallow hard, ignoring all of them as I walk over to the coffee machine.

I roughly shove a pod in, putting my cup under the machine. I inadvertently look over, noticing Jenny glaring daggers at me. I give her a grin and a little wave, doing my best to mask how empty I feel right now.

Asher refuses to look at me, happily digging into his bowl of cereal, with his spare hand on Jenny's thigh.

"Hey, sis!" Zayn yells, making me jump. "We were just here meeting Asher's girl. Do you guys know each other yet?"

I slam my hand on top of the coffee machine to hit the off button, taking my time before looking over at him.

"Yes, Zayn. We know each other."

Jenny scoffs and a bubble of anger seeps out.

"What, Jenny? Say what's on your mind," I sneer at her.

She rolls her eyes, putting down her half eaten piece of toast. She gives Zayn a little smile.

"Rylee and I used to be friends. Until, she decided to go down the path of befriending criminals and engaging in reckless behavior."

Zayn looks at me surprised. "You hang with criminals?"

"I have friends, who, to the judgmental elitist assholes, seem like shady people. But, the truth is, they are more honorable andlikeablethan the airheaded try-hards I used to hang out with."

Jenny slams her hand down angrily. "Bikers! They arebikers.Like, that stupid bar you hang out at, there was a brawl a few weeks ago. What 'honorable' kind of people do that?"

"You know what, Jenny? The world isn't all sunshine and fucking rainbows. They are nicer and care more about me than you ever did. At least they aren't judgmental bastards who think their shit don't stink."

Her mouth pops open but before she can respond, Asher grabs her hand. "Enough. Rylee, piss off."

Jenny looks at me with a smug smile. If my cup of coffee was water, I'd probably throw it all over her.

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